Open and sustained discussions in heterogeneous collaborative online groups should provide opportunities for adults to reshape their thinking, deeply understand the subject content, and have their voices heard and respected. These opportunities turn on trust. The ability to trust thoughts that are different from their own is influenced by the…

The philosophy and practice of lifelong learning has a long history in China, being traceable to Confucius's idea (circa 500 BC) of "education for all". However, very little research has been done on the development of the Confucian idea of lifelong learning in ancient China, or on its influence on current practices of lifelong learning…

Volunteering SA (VSA) has responded to the need to revise and expand the training offered to volunteers. It has developed a volunteer training framework to provide structure and guidance for the sector in making policy and financial decisions about directions and type of training that volunteers require and desire, where the training can lead and…

For the past 40 years adult learning theory has stressed the need for adults to share in the planning of their own learning and socially construct new knowledge by building on their background knowledge and life experiences. Despite growing acceptance of social-constructivist pedagogies in community-based literacy programs and even corporate…

When Liz Chandler was made Learning and Development Officer at Merseytravel five years ago she was handed an unusual remit by Chief Executive Neil Scales: to create a "learning culture" throughout the workplace. It looked to be a tall order. There was no organisational strategy for learning, and workers were often dissatisfied with the…

When developing partnership work, the members of Wakefield Skills for Life Group drew up a protocol setting out what each partner expected of the others. The process helped create one of the most cohesive partnerships in the region. This article takes a closer look at that journey, reflecting upon the nature of partnerships in general, and looking…

The Leitch Review of Skills hit the scales at the end of 2006. It weighed in at 148 pages, with a plethora of recommendations for legislation, expenditure increases, administrative reorganization, quango creation and a new set of quantitative targets. The Leitch report promises a "demand-led" skills system which could reflect and respond…

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) recently ran a series of free events, in Wigan, Slough and Newcastle--complemented by a further event organised by the Birmingham and Solihull Learners' Forum--to ask learners what shape they thought learning and working should take in 2020. "20:20 skills vision" gave learners…

The article discusses how adult learning theory can contribute to the success of life participation approaches to aphasia (LPAA) approach to treatment.

Excelsior College, located in Albany, New York, has been a pioneer institution in distance learning. The Integrated Technology Assessment (ITA) is one particularly unique dimension of student assessment offered by the School of Business and Technology at the College. This portfolio-based assessment method is a capstone experience for the BS…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine continuing education students' perceptions of adult education instructional practices at an urban community college. The continuing education students recently graduated from programs of law enforcement, truck driving, and health occupations. Perception analysis was based on the six principles…

The purpose of this interpretive qualitative research study was to explore how adult learners perceive they construct knowledge in connection to their participation in educational outreach programs, encompassing a continuum of formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences. The study context involved three world affairs outreach education…

This exploratory study was an attempt to understand the types of affective learning. The study focused on beginning students who were enrolled in apparel construction/sewing laboratory in community colleges within Los Angeles and Ventura counties during the spring of 2009 (n = 155). The primary purpose of the study was to develop scales that would…

Teachers of English as a Second Language use curricula offered to them for their classroom instruction. Although there are many good materials to be used in the classroom, and many opportunities to develop themselves professionally, research shows that including students' backgrounds into the curriculum will engage the students and benefit them. …

Today the multidimensional global shortage of nurses is negatively impacting the work environment of hospital nurses and causing, in a cyclical fashion, decreasing work satisfaction, increasing nurse turnover, and decreasing patient outcomes. While strategies aimed at causation of the nursing shortage must be addressed, to support nursing until…